Removable manual controls for an autonomous vehicle

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes a computing system and a set of user input buttons for communicating requests to stop the vehicle and to initiate a trip to the destination with the computing system The vehicle has no steering wheel and no user inputs for the steering, acceleration, and deceleration of the vehicle other than the set of user input buttons. In order to safely test the vehicle, a removable manual control system may be used. The system may include a housing having an electronic connection to a computing system of the vehicle. The housing includes a steering input configured to allow a passenger to control the direction of the vehicle. The system also includes one or more computing devices configured to receive input from the steering input and send instructions the computing system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/087,118, filed Mar. 31, 2016, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,802,638, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/181,896 filed Jun. 19, 2015, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles that do not require a humandriver, can be used to aid in the transport of passengers or items fromone location to another. Such vehicles may operate in a fully autonomousmode where passengers may provide some initial input, such as adestination, and the vehicle maneuvers itself to that destination. Giventhe nature of these vehicles, testing the vehicle on public roadways inas safe a way as possible is important to ensure safe operation of suchvehicles for end users.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure provides a removable manual control systemfor testing an autonomous vehicle. The system includes a removablehousing configured to be mounted proximate to one or more seats in avehicle having an autonomous driving mode. The removable housing has anelectronic connection to a computer system of an autonomous vehiclehaving an autonomous driving mode. A steering input mounted in theremovable housing and oriented proximate to a horizontal plane. Thesteering input is configured to allow a passenger to control thedirection of movement of the autonomous vehicle in a manual drivingmode. The removable manual control system also includes one or morecomputing devices configure to receive input from the steering input andsend corresponding instructions to the computing system of theautonomous vehicle.

In one example, the removable housing is positioned on a base structurethat connects to a floor of the vehicle by a set of removable fasteners.In this example, the removable housing is movable relative to the basestructure in a horizontal direction and also a vertical direction. Inanother example, the removable housing has at least one emergencystopping button redundant to an emergency stopping button of theautonomous vehicle. In another example, the removable housing isconfigured to rest above the emergency stopping button of the autonomousvehicle. In another example, the removable housing further includes ascreen for displaying information to the passenger. In another example,the removable manual control system also includes a removable pedalassembly configured to allow a passenger to control the speed of thevehicle. In this example, the removable pedal assembly is configured toconnect to the interior of vehicle by a set of removable fasteners. Inanother example, the removable manual control system also includes ahand held wand configured to allow a passenger to control turn signalsof the autonomous vehicle. In another example, the removable manualcontrol system also includes a hand held wand configured to allow apassenger to activate the manual driving mode. In this example, the handheld wand is further configured to allow a passenger to activate theautonomous driving mode. In another example, the steering input is asteering wheel having a knob that allows a passenger to manipulate theposition of the steering wheel.

A further aspect of the disclosure provides an autonomous vehicle havingan autonomous driving mode. The vehicle includes no permanent steeringwheel and no user inputs for the steering, acceleration, anddeceleration of the vehicle other than a set of user input buttons. Thevehicle also includes a removable manual control system for testing theautonomous vehicle, the removable manual control system having steering,acceleration, and braking inputs.

In one example, the vehicle also includes two seats and the removablemanual control system includes a housing for the steering input. Thehousing is placed proximate to one or more seats. In this example, theremovable housing is positioned on a base structure that connects to afloor of the vehicle by a set of removable fasteners. In addition, thehousing is movable relative to the base structure in a horizontaldirection and also a vertical direction. In another example, the set ofuser input buttons includes an emergency stopping button and the housinghas at least one emergency stopping button redundant to the emergencystopping button. In this example, the housing is configured to restabove the emergency stopping button of the autonomous vehicle. Inanother example, the removable manual control system further includes aremovable pedal assembly in which the acceleration and braking inputsare mounted. In this example, the removable pedal assembly is configuredto connect to the interior of vehicle by a set of removable fasteners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of an example vehicle in accordance withan exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of an example system in accordance withan exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3D are example external views of a vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an example internal view of a vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an example of a console of a vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is another example internal view of a vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of an example of a removable housing of aremovable manual control system in accordance with aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of another example of a removable housingof a removable manual control system in accordance with aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a top down view of the removable manual control system of FIG.7A or FIG. 7B.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an example of a pedal assembly of aremovable manual control system in accordance with aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 10A is another example internal view of a vehicle in accordancewith aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 10B is an example of a hand held wand in accordance with aspects ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technology relates to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to adestination, for example taking a trip, autonomously. The vehicle mayinclude various user inputs for initiating as well as terminating suchtrips. In one example, the vehicle may include various buttons that canbe used to communicate requests from a passenger to the vehicle'scomputers in order to initiate a trip, pull the vehicle over, orinitiate an emergency stop. These buttons may therefore obviate the needfor typical vehicle inputs such as a steering wheel, brake oracceleration pedals, or such inputs that would provide the passengerwith direct communication with the vehicle's drive train or directcontrol over the steering, acceleration, or braking of the vehicle.

Given the nature of the vehicle, testing the functions of the vehicle onpublic roadways is an important step to ensuring the safety of thevehicle for end users. In order to safely test a vehicle having nosteering wheel, acceleration or braking pedals, aspects of thedisclosure provide a removable manual control system which may be usedto give a passenger the ability to take over control of the vehicle inan emergency or where the passenger would otherwise be concerned aboutthe actions of the vehicle. The removable nature allows for the testingof a vehicle without requiring permanent modifications to the vehiclewhich would not necessarily be aesthetically pleasing to an end user. Inthis regard, vehicles used for testing may be configured substantiallyidentically to those used by end users and may even be put to use forend users after such testing.

The removable manual control system may include a steering wheel toenable a passenger to control the orientation of the vehicle's wheels.In addition, the removable manual control system may also include brakeand acceleration pedals that enable a passenger to control the speed ofthe vehicle. The removable manual control system also includes one ormore computing devices configured to receive input from the steeringwheel and/or pedals and send information to the vehicle's controlcomputer. A hand-held wand may also provide a passenger with additionalcontrols such as turn signals, buttons for switching the manual orautonomous mode on and off, and a horn.

The steering wheel may be mounted in a steering wheel housing. Wheninstalled in the vehicle, the housing and base structure may be placedsuch that the housing is proximate to, such as directly in front of apassenger seat of the vehicle, directly adjacent to (such as to the leftor right of) a passenger seat, between two passenger seats, at leastpartially between two passenger seats, or any location near a passengerseat that allows a passenger to comfortably reach user inputs of thesteering wheel housing. Given the placement of the housing, the steeringwheel may be considered a center-mounted steering wheel.

The steering wheel may be arranged to be generally horizontally orwithin some small angle from a horizontal plane. This may provide for amore comfortable positioning of the passenger's arm when controlling thesteering wheel and avoids the passenger having to hold his or her arm atan angle during the testing or bumping into the seats of the vehiclewhen turning the steering wheel. In addition, given the center mountedpositioning and the angle of the steering wheel, the steering wheel mayalso include a ball, knob, peg, or other protrusion to allow a passengerto more easily manipulate the steering wheel.

Because the vehicle is not adjustable, for example, the passenger seatsare stationary, to increase the comfort of the passenger, the placementof the housing may be adjusted up and down as well as front and back(relative to the vehicle). The actual placement of the housing over theconsole of the vehicle may make activation of some of the buttons of theconsole, and most importantly, the emergency stopping button difficultor inconvenient for passengers of the vehicle. Because of this, thehousing may include redundant buttons which duplicate all of some of thefeatures of the buttons of the console.

When installed in a vehicle, the removable manual control system may beconfigured to receive input from the steering wheel, pedals and wand andsend information to the vehicle's control computer. In response, thevehicle's control computer may send commands or otherwise control theaspects of the vehicle according to the inputs in an emergency manualdriving mode.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 in accordance with one aspect of thedisclosure includes various components. While certain aspects of thedisclosure are particularly useful in connection with specific types ofvehicles, the vehicle may be any type of vehicle including, but notlimited to, cars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, recreational vehicles,etc. The vehicle may have one or more computing devices, such ascomputing device 110 containing one or more processors 120, memory 130and other components typically present in general purpose computingdevices.

The memory 130 stores information accessible by the one or moreprocessors 120, including instructions 132 and data 134 that may beexecuted or otherwise used by the processor 120. The memory 130 may beof any type capable of storing information accessible by the processor,including a computing device-readable medium, or other medium thatstores data that may be read with the aid of an electronic device, suchas a hard-drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD or other optical disks, aswell as other write-capable and read-only memories. Systems and methodsmay include different combinations of the foregoing, whereby differentportions of the instructions and data are stored on different types ofmedia.

The instructions 132 may be any set of instructions to be executeddirectly (such as machine code) or indirectly (such as scripts) by theprocessor. For example, the instructions may be stored as computingdevice code on the computing device-readable medium. In that regard, theterms “instructions” and “programs” may be used interchangeably herein.The instructions may be stored in object code format for directprocessing by the processor, or in any other computing device languageincluding scripts or collections of independent source code modules thatare interpreted on demand or compiled in advance. Functions, methods androutines of the instructions are explained in more detail below.

The data 134 may be retrieved, stored or modified by processor 120 inaccordance with the instructions 132. For instance, although the claimedsubject matter is not limited by any particular data structure, the datamay be stored in computing device registers, in a relational database asa table having a plurality of different fields and records, XMLdocuments or flat files. The data may also be formatted in any computingdevice-readable format.

The one or more processor 120 may be any conventional processors, suchas commercially available CPUs. Alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may be a dedicated device such as an ASIC or otherhardware-based processor. Although FIG. 1 functionally illustrates theprocessor, memory, and other elements of computing device 110 as beingwithin the same block, it will be understood by those of ordinary skillin the art that the processor, computing device, or memory may actuallyinclude multiple processors, computing devices, or memories that may ormay not be stored within the same physical housing. For example, memorymay be a hard drive or other storage media located in a housingdifferent from that of computing device 110. Accordingly, references toa processor or computing device will be understood to include referencesto a collection of processors or computing devices or memories that mayor may not operate in parallel.

Computing device 110 may all of the components normally used inconnection with a computing device such as the processor and memorydescribed above as well as a user input 150 (e.g., a mouse, keyboard,touch screen and/or microphone) and various electronic displays (e.g., amonitor having a screen or any other electrical device that is operableto display information). In this example, the vehicle includes aninternal electronic display 152 as well as one or more speakers 154 toprovide information or audio visual experiences. In this regard,internal electronic display 152 may be located within a cabin of vehicle100 and may be used by computing device 110 to provide information topassengers within the vehicle 100.

In one example, computing device 110 may be an autonomous drivingcomputing system incorporated into vehicle 100. The autonomous drivingcomputing system may capable of communicating with various components ofthe vehicle. For example, returning to FIG. 1, computing device 110 maybe in communication with various systems of vehicle 100, such asdeceleration system 160 (for controlling braking of the vehicle),acceleration system 162 (for controlling acceleration of the vehicle),steering system 164 (for controlling the orientation of the wheels anddirection of the vehicle), signaling system 166 (for controlling turnsignals), navigation system 168 (for navigating the vehicle to alocation or around objects), positioning system 170 (for determining theposition of the vehicle), perception system 172 (for detecting objectsin the vehicle's environment), and power system 174 (for example, abattery and/or gas or diesel powered engine) in order to control themovement, speed, etc. of vehicle 100 in accordance with the instructions134 of memory 130 in an autonomous driving mode which does not requireor need continuous or periodic input from a passenger of the vehicle.Again, although these systems are shown as external to computing device110, in actuality, these systems may also be incorporated into computingdevice 110, again as an autonomous driving computing system forcontrolling vehicle 100.

The computing device 110 may control the direction and speed of thevehicle by controlling various components. By way of example, computingdevice 110 may navigate the vehicle to a destination location completelyautonomously using data from the detailed map information and navigationsystem 168. Computer 110 may use the positioning system 170 to determinethe vehicle's location and perception system 172 to detect and respondto objects when needed to reach the location safely. In order to do so,computer 110 may cause the vehicle to accelerate (e.g., by increasingfuel or other energy provided to the engine by acceleration system 162),decelerate (e.g., by decreasing the fuel supplied to the engine,changing gears, and/or by applying brakes by deceleration system 160),change direction (e.g., by turning the front or rear wheels of vehicle100 by steering system 164), and signal such changes (e.g., by lightingturn signals of signaling system 166). Thus, the acceleration system 162and deceleration system 162 may be a part of a drivetrain that includesvarious components between an engine of the vehicle and the wheels ofthe vehicle. Again, by controlling these systems, computer 110 may alsocontrol the drivetrain of the vehicle in order to maneuver the vehicleautonomously.

Computing device 110 of vehicle 100 may also receive or transferinformation to and from other computing devices. FIG. 2 is a functionaldiagram, of an example system 200 that includes a removable manualcontrol system 210 as well as vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. 2, theremovable manual control system 210 may include one or more computingdevices 220 having processors 222, memory 224, data 226 and instructions228. Such processors, memories, data and instructions may be configuredsimilarly to one or more processors 120, memory 130, data 132, andinstructions 134 of computing device 110.

The removable manual control system 210 may include a plurality of userinputs. For example, the removable manual control system 210 may includea steering input 250 such as a steering wheel as well as a pedalassembly having brake pedal and acceleration pedal inputs 260 and 270,respectively. Each of the pedal and steering inputs may include one ormore sensors configured to provide computing device 220 with informationabout the state of the respective input. For example, the steering inputmay include a sensor which provides information about the angle ororientation of the steering wheel, while the brake and accelerationpedal inputs may include sensors which provide information about whetherand how much each pedal has been depressed.

The removable manual control system 210 may be powered by a power cableconnection 230 with the vehicle's power system 174. In addition, theremovable manual control system 210 may send and receive informationwith computing device 110. The information may be sent via one or morecabled (hard-wired) or wireless network connections 240. The network,and intervening nodes, may include various configurations and protocolsincluding short range communication protocols such as Bluetooth,Bluetooth LE, the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, virtual privatenetworks, wide area networks, local networks, private networks usingcommunication protocols proprietary to one or more companies, Ethernet,WiFi and HTTP, and various combinations of the foregoing. Suchcommunication may be facilitated by any device capable of transmittingdata to and from other computing devices, such as modems and wirelessinterfaces.

FIGS. 3A-3D are examples of external views of vehicle 100. As can beseen, vehicle 100 includes many features of a typical vehicle such asheadlights 302, windshield 303, taillights/turn signal lights 304, rearwindshield 305, doors 306, side view mirrors 308, tires and wheels 310,and turn signal/parking lights 312. Headlights 302, taillights/turnsignal lights 304, and turn signal/parking lights 312 may be associatedthe signaling system 166. Light bar 307 may also be associated with thesignaling system 166.

FIG. 4 is an example internal view of vehicle 100 through the opening ofdoor 306. In this example, there are two seats 402 for passengers with aconsole 404 proximate to them. As an example, proximate may includelocations such as directly in front of a passenger seat of the vehicle,directly adjacent to (such as to the left or right of) a passenger seat,between two passenger seats, at least partially between two passengerseats, or any location near a passenger seat that allows a passenger tocomfortably reach user inputs of the console.

Directly in ahead of the seats 402 is a dashboard configuration 406having a storage bin area 408 and the internal electronic display 152.As can be readily seen, vehicle 100 does not include a steering wheel,gas (acceleration) pedal, or brake (deceleration) pedal which wouldallow for a semiautonomous or manual driving mode where a passengerwould directly control the steering, acceleration and/or deceleration ofthe vehicle via the drivetrain. Rather, as described in further detailbelow, user input is limited to a microphone of the user input 150 (notshown), features of the console 404, and, if available, wireless networkconnections. In this regard, internal electronic display 152 merelyprovides information to the passenger and need not include a touchscreen or other interface for user input. In other embodiments, theinternal electronic display 152 may include a touch screen or other userinput device for entering information by a passenger such as adestination, etc.

FIG. 5 is a top down view of the console 404. Console 404 includesvarious buttons for controlling features of vehicle 100. For example,console 404 includes buttons that may be found in a typical vehicle suchas buttons 502 for locking and unlocking the doors 306, buttons 504 forraising or lowering the windows of doors 306, buttons 506 for turning oninternal lights of the vehicle, buttons 508 for controlling a heatingfunction of seats 402, as well as buttons 510 for controlling the volumeof speakers 154.

In addition, console 404 also includes buttons 511 for initiatingcommunication with a remote concierge via a wireless network connectionif available. Buttons 512 and 514 may also be a part of user input 150and in this regard, allow a passenger to communicate with computer 110,for example, to initiate or end a trip in the vehicle. In this regard,button 512 may act as an emergency stopping button that, when pushed,causes vehicle 100 to stop in a short amount of time. Because thepassenger does not have direct control of the acceleration ordeceleration of vehicle 100 by way of a gas or brake pedal, button 512may be an emergency stop button that is critical to allowing a passengerto feel safe and act quickly in case of an immediate emergency.

Button 514 may be a multi-function button. For example, button 514 mayhave three different states. In the first state, button 514 may beinactive, that is, if pressed, the vehicle's computer 110 would notrespond by taking any particular action with regard to controlling themovement of the vehicle. In the second state, when the vehicle is readyto begin a trip, the button 514 may change to a “GO” button which apassenger uses to initiate a trip to a destination or drop off location.Once vehicle 100 is moving, button 514 may change to a third state,where the button 514 is a “PULL OVER” button which a passenger users toinitiate a non-emergency stop. In this regard, computer 110 may respondby determining a reasonable place to pull the vehicle over, rather thancoming to a more sudden stop as with the emergency stop button 512.

Thus, passenger communication with computer 110 for navigation purposesmay be limited to button 514, emergency stopping button 512, a wirelessnetwork connection (such as Bluetooth LE) with the passenger's clientcomputing device, and by sending information from the passenger's clientcomputing device to a remote server which then relays that informationto the vehicle's computer. In some examples, a passenger may provideinformation to the vehicle's computer 110 via voice commands though themicrophone as discussed above. In addition, however, the passenger maycommunicate with the concierge via a phone call, an application on thepassenger's client computing device, a microphone, and/or the conciergebutton 511 and in turn, the concierge may provide instructions controlcertain aspects of a vehicle via a concierge work station.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the interior of vehicle 100 with a removablemanual control system 210. In this example, the removable manual controlsystem 210 includes a steering wheel 610 corresponding to steering input250 that may enable a passenger to control the orientation of thevehicle's wheels.

In addition, the removable manual control system may also include aremovable pedal assembly 620 that includes a brake pedal 622,corresponding to brake pedal input 260, and an acceleration pedal 624,corresponding to acceleration pedal input 270. The pedal assembly mayenable a passenger to control the speed of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 7A, steering wheel 610 may be mounted in a steeringwheel housing 710. The housing may sit on a base structure 720 thatconnects to the floor of the vehicle by a set of removable fasteners.When installed in the vehicle, the housing and base structure may beplaced such that the housing is at least partially between two passengerseats 402 as shown in FIG. 6. The one or more computing devices of thehousing may connect to the vehicle's computer via one or more networkingcable and electrical connections (corresponding to one or more of powercable connection 230 and cable network connection 240) that extend frombeneath the housing 710 and through the base structure 720 and connectwith corresponding connections located below and between the seats ofthe vehicle (not shown).

Given the placement of the housing when installed in the vehicle, thesteering wheel may be considered a center-mounted steering wheel.Testing has shown that passengers are easily and quickly able to adaptfrom a typical left hand drive steering wheel to the center mountedsteering wheel such that reaction times with a center mounted steeringwheel are commensurate with those of a typical left hand drive steeringwheel. In addition, by placing the housing between the seats, thesteering wheel is not located in front of a passenger. This eliminatesthe need for a five-point safety harness and an airbag system in thesteering wheel during the testing.

The steering wheel 610 may be arranged to be generally horizontal. Forexample, the steering wheel may be positioned proximate to a horizontalplane or within some small angle from the horizontal plane (relative tothe ground). This may provide for a more comfortable positioning of thepassenger's arm when controlling the steering wheel and avoids thepassenger having to hold his or her arm at an angle during the testingor bumping into the seats of the vehicle when turning the steeringwheel.

Given the center mounted positioning and the angle of the steeringwheel, the steering wheel may also include a ball, knob, or otherprotrusion. As shown in FIG. 7A, knob 730 may allow a passenger to moreeasily manipulate the steering wheel by moving the knob. FIG. 7Bprovides an example of a peg 740 which could be used as an alternativeto knob 730. In this example, only the protrusion has changed, housing710 and base structure 720 are the same.

Because the vehicle is not adjustable, for example, the passenger seatsare stationary, to increase the comfort of the passenger, the positionof the housing 710 on the base structure 720 may be adjusted. Forexample, a passenger may move the housing up and down in the directionsof arrow 750 as well as front and back (relative to the vehicle 100) inthe directions of arrow 760. In one instance, the housing may move alongone or more tracks of the base structure. This may allow for a positionof the steering wheel which accommodates a wide variety of passengersizes.

The housing may include features for providing information about thevehicle to a passenger. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the housing 710may include a screen 810 which displays information to the passenger.Such information may include basic statistics about the vehicle such asbraking, steering, throttle, and battery conditions. More detailedinformation may not be necessary as the vehicle also includes a screenwhich provides information to passengers.

The housing may be shaped to fit over the console and between the twopassengers. Because of this, the vehicle may safely and comfortablyaccommodate two passengers even when the housing is installed in thevehicle. In addition, the housing may have rounded edges and soft touchsurface material to reduce injury and increase aesthetic appeal.

The placement of the housing over the console of the vehicle may makeactivation of some of the buttons of the console, and most importantly,the emergency stopping button difficult or inconvenient for passengersof the vehicle. Because of this, the housing may include redundantbuttons which duplicate all of some of the features of the buttons ofthe console. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, buttons 820 and 830 may beredundant to buttons 512 and 514, respectively, of the console 404 andallow a passenger to communicate with computer 110, for example, toinitiate or end a trip in the vehicle. However, rather than sendinginformation direction to computing device 110, buttons 820 and 830 whenactivated may send a signal to computing device 220 which forwards thesignal to computing device 110 for action with regard to the vehicle100. In this regard, button 820 may be used to activate an emergencystopping function of vehicle 100 as described above with regard tobutton 512. Similarly, button 830 may be used to initiate or stop a tripas described above with regard to button 514.

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of the removable pedal assembly 620. Thepedals 622, 624 may be mounted on a support structure 910, which likethe base structure of the housing, may be connected to the vehicle by aset of removable fasteners, such as bolts. As noted above, the pedalsmay include an acceleration pedal 624, a brake pedal 622, as well as afoot rest 920 for a passenger's left foot. The removable pedal assemblymay also be reconfigured to suit right hand drive countries as well.Each pedal may include at least one sensor to detect when the pedal isactivated by a passenger. Electrical cables from each of the pedals maybe used to connect the sensors of the pedals to the computing device 220(not shown). The pedals may be mounted to the floor or an area of theinterior of the vehicle which is convenient to the feet of a passengerwho would need to control the vehicle during testing as shown in FIG. 6.

As noted above, in addition to the steering wheel and pedals, theremovable manual control system may also include a hand held wand 1010shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The wand may include additional inputs thatwould be useful and important to a passenger but would otherwise beunnecessary in the autonomous driving mode. For example, the wand mayinclude a turn signal switch 1020, an on/off button for the manual orautomatic driving mode 1030, as well as a horn button 1040. The wand maybe held in a passenger's hand during testing thereby allowing for quickand easy access to such inputs by a passenger.

Cable 1050 can be used to provide power and data from the computingdevice 210 to the wand 1010. Dashed line 1050 of FIG. 10A represents anexample path of the cable 1050 through one of the seats 402. Whenactivated, these inputs send signals to the computing device 220 via thecable 1050, which in turn forwards the signals to the computing device110 for action relative to the vehicle 100.

When installed in a vehicle, the removable manual control system may beconfigured to receive input at the steering wheel and send informationabout the angle of the steering wheel to the vehicle's computing device.For example, when a passenger is ready to take control of the vehicleand switch the vehicle from an autonomous driving mode to an emergencymanual driving mode, the passenger may use the protrusion 730 tomanipulate the position of the steering wheel 610. The steering wheelangular position sensor may send information identifying angle of thesteering wheel to the computing device 220. The computing device 220 maythen send information identifying the angle of the steering wheel to thecomputing device 110. In response, the computing device 110 may sendcommands or otherwise control the wheels of the vehicle to orient thewheels according to the angle of the steering wheel.

Similarly, the passenger may be able to control the braking andacceleration of the vehicle using the pedals. For example, when apassenger is ready to take control of the braking or acceleration of thevehicle, the passenger may press his or her foot on the brake oracceleration pedals to manipulate the speed of the vehicle 100. If thebrake pedal is depressed, the brake pedal sensor may send informationidentifying the position of the brake pedal to the computing device 220.The computing device 220 may then send information identifying theposition of the brake pedal to the computing device 110. In response,the computing device 110 may send commands or otherwise control thespeed of the wheels of the vehicle to corresponding to the position ofthe brake pedal.

Similarly, if the acceleration pedal is depressed, the accelerationpedal sensor may send information identifying the position of theacceleration pedal to the computing device 220. The computing device 220may then send information identifying the position of the accelerationpedal to the computing device 110. In response, the computing device 110may send commands or otherwise control the speed of the wheels of thevehicle to corresponding to the position of the acceleration pedal.

During an emergent or other situation where a passenger needs to takecontrol of the vehicle, the manual driving mode may be activated invarious ways. For example, the passenger may use the inputs of the wandor the housing, tap on the brake or acceleration pedals, or move thesteering wheel. In response, the computing device 220 may determine thatthe vehicle should switch to the manual driving mode and begin sendinginformation to the computing device 110 for controlling the vehicle 100as described above. In addition, the inputs of the wand, such as on/offbutton 1030, may allow a passenger to switch the vehicle back to theautonomous driving mode. Thus, the versatile nature of the removablemanual control system further increases the safety and usefulness of thesystem.

Although the examples above relate to a particular configuration for theremovable manual control system, various other arrangements and featuresmay be used to increase safety and comfort of the passengers testing thevehicle. For example, rather than using a steering wheel with a knob orother protrusion, a joystick configuration may be used. In this regard,the joystick may be moved to control the steering of the vehicle andchange the orientation of the wheels as described above.

Unless otherwise stated, the foregoing alternative examples are notmutually exclusive, but may be implemented in various combinations toachieve unique advantages. As these and other variations andcombinations of the features discussed above can be utilized withoutdeparting from the subject matter defined by the claims, the foregoingdescription of the embodiments should be taken by way of illustrationrather than by way of limitation of the subject matter defined by theclaims. In addition, the provision of the examples described herein, aswell as clauses phrased as “such as,” “including” and the like, shouldnot be interpreted as limiting the subject matter of the claims to thespecific examples; rather, the examples are intended to illustrate onlyone of many possible embodiments. Further, the same reference numbers indifferent drawings can identify the same or similar elements.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising a manual controlapparatus including: a steering input configured to enable a passengerto change the orientation of one or more wheels of a vehicle; a steeringwheel housing wherein the steering input is mounted; and a basestructure shaped such that the steering wheel housing at least partiallyfits between two passenger seats of the vehicle, and the base structurebeing configured to be removably attached to a floor panel of thevehicle, the base structure being arranged below and connected to thesteering wheel housing.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the steeringwheel housing is shaped to fit over a console of the vehicle.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a removablepedal assembly including a brake pedal and an acceleration pedal, andwherein the brake and acceleration pedals are configured to allow thepassenger to control a speed of the vehicle.
 4. The system of claim 1,further comprising a networking cable and an electrical connection eachof which extend from beneath the steering wheel housing and through thebase structure.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising thevehicle.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the steering wheel housing isarranged at least partially over a console of the vehicle.
 7. The systemof claim 5, wherein the base structure is arranged within the vehiclesuch that the steering wheel housing is arranged at least partiallybetween the two passenger seats of the vehicle.
 8. The system of claim5, wherein the system further comprises a removable pedal assemblyincluding a brake pedal and an acceleration pedal, and wherein the brakeand acceleration pedals are configured to allow the passenger to controla speed of the vehicle.
 9. The system of claim 5, further comprising anetworking cable and an electrical connection each of which extend frombeneath the steering wheel housing and through the base structure. 10.The system of claim 5, wherein the manual control apparatus is arrangedwithin the vehicle such that the steering input is a center-mountedsteering input.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the steering input isa steering wheel arranged generally horizontal to the floor panel of thevehicle and the steering wheel housing.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the steering wheel includes an extension to allow the passengerwhen seated in one of the two passenger seats of the vehicle to moreeasily manipulate the steering wheel.
 13. The system of claim 1, whereinthe base structure includes one or more tracks which allow the steeringwheel housing to move relative to the base structure in order to changethe position of the steering wheel housing to accommodate passengers ofdifferent sizes.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the steering wheelhousing is configured to move up and down relative to the basestructure.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the steering wheelhousing is configured to move relative to the base structure towards thefront of the vehicle and towards the rear of the vehicle.
 16. The systemof claim 1, wherein the base structure is configured to be removablyattached to the floor panel via a set of removable fasteners.
 17. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the steering input is a steering wheel.